Posted on 10/15/2002 4:52:13 PM PDT by 11th_VA
WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities called in the military Tuesday to help solve the 2-week-old sniper case that has left nine people dead and terrorized the capital area.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld agreed Tuesday evening to the FBI's request to use military surveillance aircraft in the hunt for the killer, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
The plan calls for having military pilots fly reconnaissance flights accompanied by federal agents, who would relay any collected information to authorities on the ground, a senior defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A main objective is to improve communication among investigators.
Authorities had considered using a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, but decided to use manned aircraft instead, officials said.
The help will be provided in a way meant to comply with the Posse Comitatus Act - a 19th century law that bans the military from domestic law enforcement. That means the military will relay data to law enforcement and not decide on its own what targets to watch, the official said.
The aircraft would perform general reconnaissance, such as looking for or tracking the light-colored van authorities say was seen at one or more of the shooting sites. Pentagon participation also could involve a system of sensors that could detect flashes of gunfire on the ground, the official said.
More than half a dozen agencies already are working the case, a series of 11 random rifle attacks in 13 days that has killed nine people and seriously wounded two others. All but one of the attacks have been in neighboring suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. One was just inside Washington at the Maryland border.
In two recent killings, police threw up a dragnet near the shooting site, blocking off streets and expressway ramps and stopping traffic to check vehicles. The assailant slipped away.
Another official, who also discussed the matter on condition of anonymity, said that at the request of investigators, the Army has started searching its records for people trained as snipers for any former or current service member who might be involved in the shootings.
Law enforcement officials have not said they suspect anyone from the services. Experts have said the shooter also could be a hunter, a target shooter, someone with law enforcement experience, and so on.
Police from counties where the attacker has struck are participating in the joint investigation as well as both state police forces, Washington's metropolitan police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
By law the military is limited in the ways it can engage in domestic law enforcement, although state governors can call up National Guard troops for such missions.
Federal investigators refused Tuesday to rule out the possibility that organized terrorist groups are behind the shootings that have left some residents apprehensive all around the nation's capital.
"The communities are terrorized," said the homeland security director, Tom Ridge, and said federal investigators don't know whether the sniper might be a domestic or international terrorist or is a working alone.
Asked whether there were links to al-Qaida or other foreign terrorists, Ridge said, "I don't think we can foreclose that. Certainly, nobody in the FBI or the White House has foreclosed that."
Heck, they were using aerial recon (hot air balloons) to identify firepower in the Civil War, so how far have we really progressed? I think we should develop ammunition that has a shooter signature on it.
By the way, my theory on the sniper is that he is a reincarnated member of Mosby's guerillas. They used to make quite a sport of sniping and running before the 8th IL CAV put them out of business.
My point, though, was that suddenly they say they can use aerial recon. to reliably find gunfire, wehreas at Waco, it was unreliable.
Saw Orion last night crystal clear and bright in the crisp air, just like that paragraph. Just thought I'd repeat it.
What would make sense (and what I hope is happening behind the scenes) would be for actual snipers from our military to advise the cops.
I'm sure a real-life sniper could go to one of these malls and automatically think: "hey, if I was operating here, I would shoot from behind that hedge . . . " etc.
This could be much more useful that surveillance photos.
Yes, they were very chivalrous snipers, weren't they.
My point, though, was that suddenly they say they can use aerial recon. to reliably find gunfire, wehreas at Waco, it was unreliable.
Good point. I guess the feds only believe in aerial recon when they're not the ones being watched.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.